Transport Minister Jacinta Allan’s Broadmeadows station visit slammed
STATE Transport Minister Jacinta Allan’s tour of Broadmeadows train station last week has been slammed as a “token gesture” to gain votes.
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STATE Transport Minister Jacinta Allan’s tour of Broadmeadows train station last week has been slammed as a “token gesture” to attract voters ahead of the state election in November.
Standing on the platform alongside Broadmeadows state Labor MP Frank McGuire on Tuesday, Ms Allan said her department was working on a business case to investigate further upgrades to the station, which she said needed “significant improvement”.
However, Ms Allan was unable to commit to funding, nor could she provide a time frame of when further upgrades would be completed at the station should the State Government be re-elected.
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“All that would be informed by the business case,” she said.
The business case is expected to be completed in May next year.
Hume councillor Jack Medcraft labelled the move a “token gesture” and said the Broadmeadows community had been waiting too long for a full redevelopment of its train station.
“After all this time I’d expect more than a couple of toilet roll holders and a new mop,” he said, referring to the new state-funded toilets unveiled at the station last month.
“People in Broadmeadows are sick of being fed promises and nothing being done.
“I’m sick of politicians grandstanding, trying to make announcements on things they have no figures for.”
Hume councillors last month called on state election candidates to commit funding for a full redevelopment of the station ahead of the November poll.
The challenge came despite ongoing construction works to build a new northern entrance, concourse and upgrades to the pedestrian subway, funded by $4 million dollars of state money.
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As reported in the Leader, Broadmeadows train station was last month announced by the State Government as one of three key metro “super hubs” linking passengers to the proposed $50 billion dollar suburban rail loop.
Just 16km from Melbourne’s CBD, the station has been recognised as an ideal location for a major interchange or “super hub” which would connect the Albury-Wodonga regional railway line and the new Melbourne Airport Rail Link to the northern section of the loop.
The proposed 90km subway rail system would link Melbourne’s growing suburbs from Cheltenham in the southeast to Werribee in the west.
Construction of the loop would begin in 2022 if the State Government is elected in November.
The Liberal Party has refused to commit any funding to redeveloping Broadmeadows train station.
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